Net Zero Transit Center Uses Geothermal, Solar, Biomass

A newly opened Boston transit hub promises to achieve net-zero energy through geothermal, solar and wood biomass power. Engineering firm Arup built the $15.4 million John W. Olver Transit Center, which will be home to a bus terminal, the Franklin Regional Transit Authority and the Franklin Regional Council of Governments. Energy saving innovations at the site include 22 geothermal wells buried 405 feet deep, a 98 kW, 7,300-square-foot ground-mounted photovoltaic array, and a 750,000 BTU-per-hour boiler fueled by wood pellets from sustainably-managed sources. Arup, working with Charles Rose Architects, led the mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineering as well as lighting design for the project. Cooling at the building is provided by an active chilled beam system – a form of convection cooler that cools air near the building’s roof, using convection currents to cool th...